Costa Rica. Land of ecotourism, coffee and now a history-making men's national soccer team.

Everything the Central American nation is known for, however, is suddenly taking a backseat to Ticos soccer. Especially after Friday's 1-0 stunner over Italy that gave Costa Rica its second straight major upset in the World Cup and a place in the knockout round with still a match to play in Group D.

Scant few expected Costa Rica to even get a point against the likes of Italy, England and Uruguay in the "Group of Champions," those three teams having each won at least one World Cup in their histories.

But after a 3-1 thumping of Uruguay to open the tournament, Costa Rica got the only goal it needed to top Italy Friday from Bryan Ruiz just before halftime. Now Italy and Uruguay find themselves still fighting for the last knockout spot from the group. Costa Rica, meanwhile, is assured of at least second place, meaning it is headed to the Round of 16 and can win the group with a win or draw against England next week.

England fans react following Uruguay's 2-1 victory over England in the group D World Cup soccer match between Uruguay and England at the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, June 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Italy's loss officially eliminated England from the World Cup. The Three Lions continue to underachieve in recent World Cup history despite the nation's storied tradition in the sport, having not gotten past the quarterfinals since 1990.

This guy on the right pretty much sums up how they feel in England today.

France dances on Switzerland

With back-to-back goals scored in the game's 17th and 18th minutes and a third scored in the 40th minute -- plus a missed chance at a fourth tally in the first half when Karim Benzema's penalty was saved -- France sent an early message to the rest of the field Friday that Les Bleus are a title contender. France dominated for 80 minutes before allowing the two Swiss goals in a 5-2 victory.

France has eight goals in the World Cup, which is really all that matters. Had the referee allowed a few more seconds on his watch, Benzema would have made it six goals for his team on the day.

"Enner" strength

In a hard-fought, entertaining Friday finale, Enner Valencia helped Ecuador get its first win in the World Cup with two goals against Honduras, after La Tri trailed 1-0 in Curitiba. Honduras is 0-2 and on the brink of elimination, though Los Catrachos did score their first World Cup goal since 1982.

Player of the Day: Benzema. His second-half goal Friday gave the Real Madrid man three in the World Cup, and it could easily be five. Benzema is in the running for the Golden Boot, the trophy given to the top scorer in the World Cup.

Moment of the Day: Two of them. France and Honduras, the only two teams not to hear their respective national anthems due to technical difficulties before they played each other last Sunday, finally got the opportunity to sing their hearts out before their games Friday. We all got to hear La Marseillaise, one of the most recognizable national anthems in the world.

Team of the Day: Costa Rica. The team ranked No. 28 in the world rankings heading into this World Cup has already defeated the No. 7 and No. 9 teams since arriving in Brazil. These are major upsets, made bigger because they have happened on a neutral pitch.

Bryan Ruiz of Costa Rica: "Many people did not believe in us because we were in the group of death. Now they are the dead"

The United States is back in action Sunday in a critical matchup against Portugal. Can the U.S. team sustain the momentum from their opening victory over Ghana? Listen to PennLive.com's Anthony Lovari and Jacob Klinger break down the matchup and make their predictions in the World Cup Counterattack podcast:

One for the other index finger

Brazil has five World Cup titles, one for each finger on a typical hand. But not this family's hands. The Silvas are getting a lot of attention in Brazil as the Selecao seek the country's sixth championship.